1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tonneau cover releasably attached to a bed of a pickup truck and, more particularly, to rigid cover assembly releasably attached and pivotally mounted above the bed of a pickup truck.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pickup truck vehicles are used for both work-related activities and personal transportation. A pickup truck cargo bed provides carrying space for both work-related and personal cargo. In order to prevent cargo carried inside the cargo bed from being damaged by weather or from being stolen, protective covers are commonly installed to cover the open cargo bed.
As pickup truck vehicles are used for a variety of purposes, it is often desirable to remove the hard cover from the pickup truck for an open cargo bed. Typical configurations allow the hard cover to be removed from a frame assembly mounted on the truck sidewalls and provide a partially open cargo bed. Alternately, the hard cover and frame assembly are removed for a completely open cargo bed.
Fiberglass molded covers in particular have been used extensively in recent years for the above noted purposes. The fiberglass molded cover is typically unitary in construction and requires a number of mechanical systems for proper operation upon the cargo bed of the pickup truck.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,079,989 and 5,688,017 disclose frame assemblies that include fiberglass molded covers, a hinge apparatus that opens and closes the fiberglass molded cover for access to the cargo bed, a lock apparatus to secure the fiberglass molded cover in a closed position, and a counter balance apparatus to support the fiberglass molded cover in an open position. The frame assembly is typically attached to the cargo bed by tool-operated clamps, and the hard cover is attached to the frame assembly in a secondary operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,017 also discloses a permanently mounted cover. The fasteners must be repeatedly removed and reinstalled, which results in wear on the fiberglass composite structures.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,525 discloses a hinge apparatus that includes a moving hinge part attached to the hard cover and a fixed hinge part that is mounted to the frame assembly. The moving hinge part is typically rotated to a vertical orientation where it is disengaged from the fixed hinge part. The fiberglass molded cover is rotated into a substantially perpendicular (or vertical) position, relative the cargo bed. The hard cover is released from the frame assembly at the hinge apparatus. Such hinge apparatus is referred to as xe2x80x9crotate to releasexe2x80x9d hinge apparatus within the industry.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,681 discloses a fixed bracket and a frame assembly. The bracket receives a tab extending from the hard cover in a position between a cover front wall and a passenger cabin. The bracket receives a moving tab to rotate the hard cover between open and closed positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,429 discloses a bracket and a tab. The bracket is connected to the cover, and the tab is connected to the frame assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,785,698 also discloses an assembly having a xe2x80x9crotate to releasexe2x80x9d hinge. The xe2x80x9crotate to releasexe2x80x9d hinge assemblies have a critical limitation. The thickness of the cover is limited by the distance between the end of the cabin and the point of rotation of the cover.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,632,522, 5,971,446, 6,221,290 and 6,273,491 disclose complicated and costly hinges that facilitate the removal of the thermoplastic hard cover for an open cargo bed.
In addition, rigid and heavily weighted hard covers also suffer from improper alignment. Metal hinge hardware may bend and distort when the hinge is cyclically loaded from repeated rotation of the cover. Misaligned covers also abrade painted surfaces of the cargo bed. Improper sealing due to misaligned covers introduces rainwater, cleaning fluids, pollens, dust, debris and mud into the cargo bed. Also, misaligned covers are also more likely to fail catastrophically.
There is need for a xe2x80x9cno-drillxe2x80x9d and a xe2x80x9cno-toolxe2x80x9d method of attaching a hard cover to a pickup truck bed. The xe2x80x9cno-drillxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cno-toolxe2x80x9d method should be easy to use and convenient to allow operator access to an open truck bed and to close the truck bed when desired. The tonneau cover should be fabricated of a thermoformed material that is efficiently engaged to a rail assembly above the truck bed to simplify removal and reinstallation of the cover. In addition, the equipment for installing the hard cover must be securely engaged on the pickup truck to assure safe operation.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a rigid cover assembly for a pickup truck having a cabin and an open bed defined by a front wall and two opposing side walls. A frame assembly includes a front rail member detachably positioned on the front wall and a pair of side rail members detachably positioned on the side walls. A rigid cover is movable between an open position providing access to the bed and a closed position on the frame and forming a top for covering the bed in the closed position. A bracket having a slot is releasably connected to the front wall. A bar having a tabbed end portion is inserted in the slot to releasably connect the bar to the bracket. The bar also includes a flat end portion having a pair of bores therethrough. A manually adjustable fastening mechanism is retained on the cover above the open bed and extends through the bores to releasably connect the bar to the cover. With the bar tabbed end portion positioned in the bracket slot, the cover is pivotally movable with the bar between the open and closed positions.
Further in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a rigid cover assembly for a pickup truck having a cabin and an open bed defined by a plurality of walls. A frame has a plurality of members detachably positioned on the walls. A bracket having a slot is connected to one of the frame members. A rigid cover is supported by the frame and movable between an open position and a closed position for covering the bed and having a front section with a recess. A bar has a tabbed end portion inserted in the slot to releasably connect the bar to the bracket and a flat end portion having a bore therethrough and positioned in the cover front section recess. A manually adjustable fastening mechanism releasably connects the bar to the cover with bar tabbed end portion positioned in is the bracket slot for pivotal movement of the cover with the bar between the open and closed positions.
Further in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a rigid cover assembly for a pickup truck having a cabin and an open bed defined by a plurality of walls. A frame having a plurality of members is detachably positioned on the walls. A bracket having a slot is detachably connected to one of said members. A rigid cover is movable between an open position and a closed position on the frame and forms a top for covering the bed in the closed position. A bar has a tabbed end portion inserted in the slot to releasably connect the bar to the bracket and a flat end portion. Means is provided for releasably attaching the bar flat end portion to the cover with the bar tabbed end portion positioned in the bracket slot for pivotal movement of the cover with the bar between the open and closed positions.
A principal object of the present invention to provide a pivotally supported hard cover releasably connected to a cargo bed of a pickup truck.
Another object of the present invention is to provide tonneau cover hinge apparatus that does not require holes to be drilled in the cargo bed or the cover for attachment of the cover to the bed.
A further object of the present invention to provide a hard cover assembly for a pickup truck that is easily installed and removed above the cargo bed of a pickup truck without the use of tools.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide for a hard cover on the cargo bed of a pickup truck a frame assembly that remains installed on a cargo bed while the hard cover is removed to permit access to an open cargo bed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a semi-flexible and lightweight tonneau cover for the cargo bed of a pickup truck where the cover is manually connected free of tools to the cargo bed.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a hard cover for the cargo bed of a pickup truck where the cover is securely, pivotally connected to the cargo bed and releasably disengaged from the cargo bed by hand without the use of any tools.